Jamshedpur, Sept. 16: A district superintendent of education has been suspended for allowing 12 teachers to join various primary schools against established norms.

Officials of the human resource department said suspension orders against the East Singhbhum district superintendent of education, P.N. Singh, had been issued and sent to the regional deputy director of education, Nagendra Thakur, yesterday for necessary action.

On Monday, suspension orders were issued to the 12 teachers by the district education establishment committee.

“We have issued orders to suspend Singh. He had allegedly recruited 12 primary teachers overlooking guidelines,” a senior HRD official told The Telegraph.

Singh had okayed the posting of 12 primary teachers in East Singhbhum on the basis of certificates of universities not recognised by the National Council for Teachers’ Education, New Delhi, the apex body that approves BEd and MEd courses across the country.

Initially, the teachers, who had cleared the Jharkhand Public Service Commission exams in 2005, hadn’t been allowed to join schools as their certificates weren’t recognised by the council.

In 2006, the teachers approached the Jharkhand High Court but their plea was rejected.

However, in October 2008, Singh allowed the teachers to be posted in primary schools across the district.

“Nobody knew about the matter. It came to our notice when questions were raised at the recruitment process. Recently, after I was entrusted with the probe, I submitted my report to the state human resource department,” said Thakur.